Punodrapli co



c. A. BRINK. I UNWINDING DEVICE- APPLICATION HLED DEC. 16, I916.

Patented Sept. 30, 1919.

3 SHEETSSHEET I.

"IIIIIII'IIII \Ha DOLUMEIA PLANOGRAPH c0, WASHXNGTUN, D. c

c. A. BRINK. umwmome nevucs. APPLICATION FILED DEC. 16, I916.

1,317,544. PatentedSept. 30,1919.

. 3SHEETS-SHEET 2.

C. A. BRINK.

UNWINDING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC.16,19I6.

l 3 1 7, 544. Patented Sept. 30, 1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

ATTORNEYS NT Q6 5",:

CA-BL A. BRINK, or PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGNOR TO UNIVERSAL WINDING COMPANY, 013 BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

UNWINDING DEVICE.

1 '0 aZZ whom it may concern Be it known that I, CARL A. BRINK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Providence, in the county of Providence, State of Rhode Island, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Unwinding Devices, of which the following is specification.

My invention is an improved device for controlling the unwinding of yarn, thread or the like from skeins, hanks, spools or other supplies in delivering it to winding machines or similar textile apparatus. The object of my improvement is to provide means for facilitating the delivery of the yarn under a uniform tension, without un due strain or breakage, and to prevent snarling. kinking or overrunning.

The manner and means for carrying out the improvement are fully described in the following specification, illustrated by the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate like parts. In the drawings Figure 1 is a general view of my improved device shown as applied to a swift or reel for unwinding the yarn from a skein hold thereon, and illustrating a conventional form of winding machine to which the yarn delivers;

Fig. 2, an enlarged view of a portion of the swift showing the method of operation of the unwinding device in connection there with;

Figs. 3 and 4, enlarged, detail views of the friction-brake device for the yarn-controller;

Fig. 5, a detail View of the hub or mount-- ing for the controller-arm;

Fig. 6, an enlarged, side view of the swift support or bracket showing the method of attaching the swift-spindle thereto; and

Fig. 7, an enlarged, detail, plan view of the spindle-attaching means.

Referring first to Fig. 1, I have here illustrated my improved mechanism as applied to use in connection with a reelor swift on which the skein Y is held while delivcrin the yarn to a winding machine W. It is to be understood, however, that the invention'is applicable to other varieties of supplvdiolders. such as spools, bobbins, or the like. and is also adapted for use with YUflOllS other types of textile apparatus. As shown. in l, the winding machine W' Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 16, 1916. Serial No. 137,408.

Patented Sept. 30, 1919.

comprises a frame or casing C, carrying bearings for the rotatable winding-spindle B and reciprocable'traverse-rod D, and inclosing the mechanism M for operating the same. On the traverse-rod D is a thread-guide G to which the yarn is delivered to be Wound onto the bobbin 6 held on the spindle B. VViththis type of machine it is the usual practice" to mount the swift S above the winding-spindle B in convenient position'for' leading the yarn down. from the sk ein Y tothe guide G. For this purpose one or more A-shaped uprights E are fastened to the top of the machine frame or casing C and arranged to support a horizontal rod 3 at the top; The rod 6 serves as a support for a, series of arms or brackets F which are clamped to its sides and eX- tend angula'rly therefrom to provide bearings for the swifts S. v

Usually the machine frame carries a plurality of Winding-spindles B, spaced along its opposite sides, and a bracket or arm F is provided for each spindle. Each bracket F is constructed with a hub f at its outer end formed with'a slot f for receiving the spindle s on which the swift S rotates, see Figs. 2, 6 and 7. As shown more particularly in Figs. 6 and 7 the spindle 8 simply rests in the slot f and is held fixedly in place by means of a clamping-lever L. The lever L is preferably constructed of sheet-metal in the form of a handle Z having a crook Z at its end. The end of the crook Z is pivoted on a stud m screwed into the side of the arm F. The end of the spindle s is arranged to project beyond the side of the hub f on the arm F and is formed with an annular, beveled groove 8 with which the lever L engages. Preferably the edge of the lever L is beveled or rounded off to adapt it to fit snugly into the groove sand, as shown in Fig. 6, the under side of its crook Z is of such form as to adapt it to dog against the spindle 8. That is to say, when the spindle s is inserted in the'slot f and the lever L turned down'to engage with its groove 8 the eccentric curvature of its engaging edge will cause it to clamp the spindle securely in place in its bearing.

In Fig. 2, I have illustrated a familiar type of reel or swift S which is constructed with radially contractible arms or spokes a to facilitate the placing of the skein thereon and to render it adjustable therefor. At the the place of the one here shown, however,

' and it is to be understood that my present trolled by a friction-brake.

improvement is independent of this part of the apparatus. Asshown in Fig. 2 the hub h of the swift S is bored at h to adapt it to receive the spindle s on whichit rotates, and usually its turning movement is con- This, in its simplest form, mayconsist merely of a band or strap 7c looped around the concaved end of the hub h and arranged to suspend weights strung on a rod or pin 19. The weights w cause a slight friction or drag of the band 76 on thehub h and thereby serve to resist the turning movement of the swift to control its rotation in the usual manner. 7 f

My improved controlling device for regu lating the unwinding of the yarn y' from the skein Y is mounted on the outer endof the spindle 8, beyond the hub h of the swift S,

and serves a further purpose in'retaining the swift in place on the spindle. As shown most clearly in Fig. 2', it'comprises a'controller-arm X supported by a hub R to rotate'about'the axis of the swift S, and controlled in its movement by a friction-brake V. Referring particularly to Fig. 5, the hub R is formed with a longitudinal bore 1 extending throughout the greater portion of its length, and with an enlarged annulus 1" at one end. The annulus '1" is formed with flanges 2'2 to provide a peripheral groove or seat for receiving the braking element V held thereagainst by a tongs-member T, see Fig. 3. The hub R- is also scored with an annular groove 3 providing the relatively thin flange 41 at its end.

As shown in Fig. 3 the tongs-member T is mounted on' a harpshaped support U constructed from sheet-metal as illustrated in Fig.4. The upper part of the member U is divided by the vertical slits ufl'l/ and the portion of the'metal cut away at the center is bent back in the offset arm u, see Fig. 2. At its upper end the, arm uis perforated with a button-hole opening or slot" 5 having its larger,"circular'portion6 of a diameter to adapt it to fit freely over the outside of the spindles. 'Referring'now to Fig. ,5, the spindle s is slotted at 7, 7 on its opposite sides to provide a flatted portion with Which the relatively narrow opening 8 of' the button-hole'e engages as shown in F igr l. Referring more particularly to Fig. 2, the cutting away and bending back of the arm to leaves two prongs 9''-9 extending upwardly from the lower portion of the member U. and these are adapted to'straddle the hub R 'to engage with its peripheral groove fully. explained hereinafter.

band V thereagainst.

Through this construction and arrangement of the member U the hub R is held in place on the spindle s while-allowing it torotate about the axis thereof, in the manner as more As illustrated in Fig. 8 the tongs-member T is constructed from a flat strip of sheetmetal bent in U -shape at the bottom with its opposite, parallel arms t, t bowed out at thev top to partly encircle the brake-member or flanged annulus r on the hub R. Inserted between thearcuate ends of the arms t, t

ment or brake-liningV which may be a strap of leather, felt or other suitable material. The tongs T is supported on the harpmem ber U, as before mentioned, by bending it around a slotted finger or lug 1O projecting atright-angles from its lower end, see Figs.-

2 and 3. A'tlflllIIlbrSClGV J extends through openings in the arms't, t and is screwed into a flat nut or washer j on one side thereof. By turningup the screw J the tongs is clamped against the lug 10- on the supportingmember-.U and the curved ends of its arms 6, t are caused to hold the brake-band- 'weight, and inserted in its outer end is a wire eXtension'X which may be soldered or secured thereto in any suitable manner.

The wire X is bent into a loop or eye an adjacent the side of'the cross-member a of the swift S and thence extends toa point opposite the center of the swift where it is formed with a second eye 00. From the eye as the wire extends outwardly in a'guardfinger m overhanging the opposite side of the swift S. Inserted through the hole 12 in the hub R is a wire arm 14 carrying a dislesha'ped weight 15 at its outer end, see Fig. 2. A set-screw 16 in the hub R serves to bind the butt end of the arm X and the end of the wire 14 in place in the hole 12 and the weight 15 acts as 'aeounterbalance for and the brake-member r isthe friction ele- V the'controller-arm; As illustrated in Fig. 2

the hub R is turned 'down' at its outer end and scored with screw-threads forming a stud-like projection 17. Wound about the explained: In assembling the mechanism the tongs T is clamped to the member' U, as

shown in Fig 3, with-its upper end embrac ing the brake-annulus r to press the'brake sides or prongs "9 -9 of the member U enln this position the,

v gage the groove 3 ofthe hub R and the arm u lies adjacent its flangedend as shown in Fig. 2-. By releasing the thumb-screwJ the harp-member U may be slid longitudinally inrelationto'the tongs T and to apply the hub R to the spindle s the enlarged end (3 of the button-hole-sloto is brought down opposite the bore 1" in the hub. With the opening 6 registering with the bore 7" the end of the-spindle s is inserted therethrough until the slots 77 come into alinemjent with the arma. The member Ufis then pushed up into the position illustrated in Fig. 4 to engage the sides of the narrow portion 8 of its button-hole 5 with the slots 7 -7, and in this manner-the member Uand tongs T are held from turning'on the spindle s. The thumbscrew J is now tightened'to cause the arms 25, t to press their brake-lining V against the annulus 1" to the required degree to apply a slight resistance to the turning of thehub R on the spindle 8. At thesame time the prongs 99 serve'to hold the hub R in place its hub h with the'arm u abutting the outer end thereof as'shown in Fig. 2. The end-of the spindle s is then seated in its slot at the end of the bracket F and the lever Z brought down into engagement with its groove 8 to clamp it in place. For some uses the spindle 8 might be secured permanently to the bracket F and the swift S applied to'or removed therefrom by detaching the hub R and its associated fasteningmeans. In most instances, however, 'it is necessaryjto arrange the swifts in closelyadjacent relation in order to accomodate the greatest possible number within a limited space. With space an important factor, therefore, I'have provided the herein described arrangement for disconnecting the spindle itself from its bracket or support F in order to allow for the removal of the swift S without interference with its neighbors. That is to say, with the present arrangement the swift may be taken down from and replaced in its bearings without necessitating sliding it off from the end of its spindle. V U

With the parts of the apparatus assembled as shown in Figs. 61 and 2 the free end ofthe yarn .g is threaded through theeye-ai on the controll'er-arnrX, nextthrough the eye'm an d thence led down "through the'aXial'ly-ar ranged pigtail 19; From-the" pigt-ai-l 19 the yarn leads to the thread-guide G of the winding machine W and thence to the winding-spindleB on which it is tobe coiled. When the windiii'g machine or other apparatus which takes up the yarn is first started there will be a sudden pull or draft onthe yarn which is liable to strain or break the material before the reel or swift S can be started to unwind the skein Y. That is to say, the inertia of the swift, which is considerable as compared to the strength of fine silk yarns or other delicate materials, must first be overcome before the yarn can be delivered freely from the skein' With my present improved "apparatus thejsudden pull and strain on the yarn is compensated for by the movement of the controller-arm X. The arm X being free to turn on the aXis of the swift andbeing relatively light and delicately balanced it requires very little force to move it- Therefore, as the yarn vistaken I up by the draft on the machine towhichi t is delivering a sudden pull will first initiate a turning movement, of the arm X to pay the yarn'offfrom the skei'n Y. The guide-eye m at; the end of the arm X being spaced a. slight distance awayffroni the periphery of the swift S also ada'pts'it to lift the yarn'oif from the skein and to free it from entangle- I ment with the coils thereof.- In this manner the controller-arm operates somewhat like the human action of the arm and lingers in unwinding from'a skein while easing the free length off therefrom. After the -m'a- M chine commences totake up the yarn with a steady draft the reel S will be started to rotate to unwind it from the 'skein, slowly at first but with a gradual acceleration while the turning movement of the controller-arm X is continued, but at a slower rate. In case the yarn meets with any obstruction in its delivery from the'skein, however, the arm X will immediately start'to move at a faster rate if the swift'i's held from turning. Another important feature of my improved device results from its control over the yarn when its draft is discontinued. In taking off the yarn at a high rate of draft the swift S will attain a considerable speed with con sequent appreciable momentum. Now, when the machine to which the yarn is delivering is stopped for any reason, the swift will have a tendency to continue to rotate to give off more yarn than required. Under this condition, when the draft on the yarn ceases, the controller-arm X immediately comes to rest and if the swift Sf continues to run ahead the yarn will simply be wound back on-the skein Y. Now, when the machine is started again the controller-arm will turn back to take up this overrun and will then reverse its motion until theswiftstlar-ts to rotate again under the normal draft. f In way a very sensitive and active control is maintained over the-yarn during-its- 1111- winding, with all unequal resistanceto delivery compensated for by themovement of the arm X, thus preventing undue straln or breakage. Throughthis equalizin control the ultimate tension on the dehvermg yarn is mainta ned more even and un1form and hence the cop, bobbin or other packagebeing wound from the skein is improved in quality. In other words, the cop or bobbin being produced is wound under more uniform tension, without strain or breakage of the yarn, and hence-will deliver more freely and uniformly in unwinding, therebyimproving the quality of the cloth or other ultimate prodnot for which it isiintended. Y

My new device is extremely compact and I simple in construction and particularly efficient for the purpose intended. ,It also provides for convenient application of the supply to its holder ,in position for delivery to the machine and easily accessible vfor piecing up the ends. 7 Various modifications might be made in the form and construction of the parts of my improved device without departing from the spirit orscope of the invention; therefore, without limiting myself to the exact embodiment shown. and described, whatI claim is V '1. In an unwinding device for controlling the delivery of yarn, thread or the like from rotating supplies, the combination with a dead-spindle, of a supply-holder rotatably 7 ing the yarn off from the supply, r

2. In an unwinding devlce for controlling the delivery of yarn, thread of the like from rotating" supplies, the combination, with a deadspindle, ofx'a supply-holder rotatably mounted thereon, a hub rotatable on the spindle, an arm rigidly engaged with the spindle and extending radially therefrom, a. resilient brake-member :mounted on the end of the radial arm With its inner end bearing against the hub to apply frictional resistance to the rotation thereof, and a controller-arm I extending radially from the huband carry ing yarn-guiding means at its end for lead- Y ing the yarn off from the supply.-

3. In an unwinding device for controlling the delivery of yarn,thread orthe like from rotating supplies,- the combination with a dead-spindle formed with slots in its sides,

' of a supplyholder rotatable'on the spindle,

a hubrotatable on the spindle, a radial 1 'braking-arm having means- {engagingthe v .65

slots in the spindle to attach it "fixedliyj m me thereto, a..brakeanemberlmountedon radial member to adapt it to. bear friction.-

ally against the hub,;and a controller-arm extending radially from the hub and carry ing yarnguiding means ,at'its' end for" leading the yarn ofi from' thesupplyQj 4:. In an unwinding device for controlling the deliveryof yarn, thread or the like from rotating 1 supplies, .thecombination with s a dead-spindle, of a supply-holder;rotatable thereon a hub rotatable on the spindle, a

member rigidly I engaged with A the V spindle and extending radially therefrom, a tongs:- mem'ber supported. at the outer end fof the radial member and, provided with spring? arms engaging the periphery-oftheihub to apply frictio nal resistance {110 its --r;otation,

and a" f controller-arm ex tending radially y from the, hub.- andf carrying yarn-guiding means at its end for .leadingthe. yarn" off ro the pplx 5. In an unwinding device for controlling the-delivery of yarn, thread or the like, the combinatio nj with a fixedbracket, of a spindle, fmeans for detachably securing the end of the spindle to the bracket, a supplyholder rotatable on thegspindle, a radial braking-arm adapted to. be 'detacha'bly; se-' cured to the outer end. of the spindle. to. pre-.

vent its rotation thereon, a brake-hub rota table on the spindle, braking-means carried by the radial arm and engageable with the hub to controlits rotation, and a controller:

arm extending radially from .thebrake-hub and carrying yarn-guiding means atits end iotaltableabout the periphery of the supply- 01 er. I i

6. In an unwinding-device, the-combiner;

tion with a brackethaving a slotted bearing, of a dead-spindle engageable with said bearing and formed with an annular groove at its end, a lever pivoted on the bracket to adapt its edge to be engaged with the groove in the spindle to secure the latter in position, a supply-holder rotatable, onthe spindle,

1 and acontrollnarm rotatably mounted on the spindle and carrying yarn-guiding means 7 7. In an unwinding-device, the combination with a deadvspindle having slots in its sides; of a'harp-memloer having anarm: formed with \a button-hole opening adapted to slidev over the spindle to 'engageits sides withthe-s'lots'therein, .a. hub rotatable on the end ofthe spindle'and formed with'an an nular groove with which'the forked sides of the harp-member engage toretain it longitudinally in place on the spindle, and a.yarncontrolling arm carried by said hub. 8. In an-unwlndmg device, the combination'with adead-spindle, of'a brake-hub r0- tatable thereon. and formed with an annular groove, a harp-member engaging slots in the sides ofthe-spindle and formed with forked prongs 'engagingthe' -groove in the brake-' hub, and a tongs-me1nber mounted on the harpme1nber With its arms encircling the periphery of the hub to apply frictional pressure thereto.

9. In an unwinding-device, the combina tion with a dead-spindle, of a brake-hub rotatably mounted thereon a member rigidly attached to the spindle and extending radially therefrom, a tongs-member supported on the radial member and arranged with its opposite arms engaging the periphery of the hub and an adjusting-screw extending through the arms of the tongs-member to regulate its pressure against the sides of the huh. I

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

CARL A. BRINK.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents Washington, D. G. 

